


Signs of silence (Klance)

by Rona23



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ASL, American Sign Language, Deaf Character, Gen, M/M, Sign Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:01:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21891841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rona23/pseuds/Rona23
Summary: Whenever you hear someone explain the story of how they met their lover, their best friend, sometimes even how they overcame their differences with a person they used to dislike, it always seems to go the same way.In each of these stories,the person will tell you that somehow, they ended up talking. That they couldn't seem to stop and maybe they even had the time of their life's because of it.With Lance and Keith, their story was a little different.They had always been talking to begin with. More like shouting and screaming. To the point it drove everyone around them nuts.It wasn't until one of them stopped completely, that they learned to listen.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron), Klance - Relationship
Comments: 4
Kudos: 106





	Signs of silence (Klance)

AN:// Disclaimer: 

Before you read this, please note that I don't actually know ASL, I used the ASL dictionary provided from www.handspeak.com/word/search.  
So, if the few descriptions I made or the sentences sound off or anything, I apologize beforehand.  
This story was a lot of fun for me and I liked writing it (it's a oneshot), but I understand that I probably made more mistakes than I can count.  
Feel free to correct me, but I assure you, I tried to do my research. I'm just really bad at it. I hope you can forgive me D: Feel free to enjoy this story anyway. 

More importantly, this story is a birthday present for my dear friend neko9123 (on wattpad)  
HAPPY BIRTHDAY <3 I hope you like it ^^May the fluff be with you (also I added a painting XD)

Now enjoy ^^  
\-----------------------------------------

SOUND OF SILENCE

Whenever you hear someone explain the story of how they met their lover, their best friend, sometimes even how they overcame their differences with a person they used to dislike, it always seems to go the same way.

In each of these stories,the person will tell you that somehow, they ended up talking. That they couldn't seem to stop and maybe they even had the time of their life's because of it.

With Lance and Keith, their story was a little different.

They had always been talking to begin with. More like shouting and screaming. To the point it drove everyone around them nuts.

It wasn't until one of them stopped completely, that they learned to listen.

\--------------

Keith was staring at his essay. An essay he should have completed ten minutes ago. Yet, it felt as though he hadn't even started yet.

Again and again he was reading the task. Over and over, but the words just slipped past his mind. He couldn't get a hold of them. He couldn't understand what was asked of him.

Panic settled in his mind as his own words became a blurr as well.

He had asked the teacher for a little extra time and now everyone was waiting for him to finish.  
"WOULD YOU PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP!", he finally screamed at the boy in front of him.

Heads turned to them, as Lance McClain, who was seated comfortably on his desk rather than his chair, right in front of Keith, kept gesturing and talking and blasting and boasting some random story about his awesome twin sister Rachel or how they jumped of a roof once without hurting themselves.  
Lance had made it a habit to talk about his sister a lot. Keith noted.

Lance blinked at him, a grin already forming on his face.

"Oh, come on, what's gotten in your pants, Mullet-boy? I'm just talking."

"Yes, Lance, and you're distracting him.", their teacher intervened. "Keith, are you done yet?", she asked kindly.

Keith shook his head, biting his bottom lip in an attempt to conceal his anger.

They were in class. They were writing a test. He couldn't just hit the other boy right now.  
"Later.", his mind told him, cheering him up a little.

However, it didn't help. Not at all, actually. Even though Lance sat down on his chair without too many complains, he just whispered over to him in a supposedly seductive voice: "So, am I distracting you now?"

Keith's anger flared up again. And despite the silence that followed, his own head was still screaming at him. Unable to write even a single new word, Keith finally gave up and handed his unfinished essay in.

Muttering and cursing and bewitching this stupid boy that by some weird coincidence ended up assigned to sit right in front of him – he made his way home. 

\-----

He greeted his father "I'm home", with a sign, as he had since he was a child. He formed his right hand like one might when using a sock puppet and tipped the right corner of his mouth and then again a bit closer to his ear and tipped again. All while forming the word "home".

Keith father, as you should know for this story, was mute. When he was a child, he happened to have a car accident that damaged the part of his brain that was responsible for his ability to speak. 

Keith grew up with this knowledge, learning ASL so he could understand his father no matter where they were or what they were up to. Especially since his mom left or disappeared or died (the police wasn't very clear on the subject), he had made sure to support his father even more.

Keith never talked about it in school. It was normal for him not to mention it. Not because he was ashamed, but because he didn't want people to think this was the only thing that defined his father.

His father was so much more.

He was a carpenter, who made most of the furniture that was bought in the neighborhood. He was known for his precision and arty style. He was smart, as he knew how to build or repair almost anything.

He was funny, when you knew how to talk to him.

Keith couldn't imagine half of the things his father had experienced and he loved talking about them with his father. 

He also trusted his father more than anyone. Which is why, for the billionth time, Keith turned to him to talk about Lance McClain and how annoying he was.

Even though Keith knew his fathers opinion about it. "Give him a chance.", his father would sign, turning his hands inwards as though he was putting ingredients into an invisible pot in front of him at the word "chance".

"I don't think he deserves it.", Keith would sign back.  
His father would just raise his eyebrows at him in an amused way, but Keith still failed to read what that meant. It was irritating.

It went on like this, as it usually does. But big changes sometimes happen over night. 

Keith would only find out about this the next day.

But he would hear the sirens tonight. They would keep him up at night, making him wonder if maybe he would have been better of deaf.

It wouldn't change the way he was able to talk to his dad. But he wouldn't have to listen to all the noise around him. It wasn't a nice thought, he knew. But then again, it was just a thought. And he was glad he didn't have to deal with it in reality.

\-----------

"Lance's mother has called us this morning to tell us that Lance has been taken to the hospital last night.", was not what Keith expected to hear first thing in the morning.

His head snapped up, staring at the empty seat in front of him. 

"What? What happened?", Hunk Garret asked, curious and shocked.

Wasn't he Lance's best friend? How come he hadn't heard about this yet?, Keith wondered in silence.  
Well that explained the sirens.

"According to his mom, Lance has gotten into a fight last night at the movie theater. His sister was with him and asked a witness to call the ambulance-"

Hunk stared at her in slight confusion, as though the fact that Lance's sister had called the ambulance was a bigger mystery for him than the fact that Lance had gotten into a fight in the first place.

"I have asked our school director Mr. Iversion to let us go and visit him today. Since the hospital isn't too far away. I will hand you your test results later.

Keith sighed. "Are you serious?", he muttered to himself, hands already crossed over his head. He was already dreading his test results, now he had to deal with his entire class doting over that idiot?

"Did you say something, Keith?", his teacher asked him pointedly.  
"No, not really.", Keith said a little louder. "I just don't understand why we should visit him in the hospital, when it's literally his own fault for landing there. Don't you think the attention would get to his head and he'd get in a fight again, just for him to gloat about it?"

His teacher frowned at him. "Keith, that is very unfair. Lance is a valued member of this class. I don't know why he's gotten into that fight. And I don't know why you dislike him so much, but I think he deserves the chance to explain himself.

Especially since Lance is not the type to start fights."

Keith laughed. He couldn't help it. "You do realize whom you're talking to, right?", he said with a tone in his voice he's going to regret later. You don't talk to your teacher like that, his father would say. His father might even get mad if he was here.

"Hello, I'm Keith, in case you didn't notice. I fight with Lance a lot. That's basically a personality trait of mine at this point. As well as "Fighting with Keith", has become one of his.", he said bluntly.

His teacher sighed."That's different, Keith. You two are a special case. But Lance doesn't fight anyone by default. We'll visit him now. Like we would have visited you, if you were in his position, Keith."

And that was that. For the entirety of the way to the hospital, Keith would now contemplate how his mind got the idea that telling his teacher "Fighting Lance is my personality trait" was a good idea.

Needless to say he would be embarrassed by that phrasing for the rest of the day. Who was he kidding. For the rest of his life.

\----------------

Hospitals, in general, were clean, white places. Women and men in white clothing, name tags on every shirt ran around, in and out numbered doors lining the hallway.

Lance, as their teacher had announced after talking to the paling receptionist at the large number of visitors for one patient, was stationed in room 263.

200 meant second floor, Keith recognized. He sighed once more, hands in his pockets as he followed the chattering teenagers around up to the second floor, as he so rightfully predicted. 

"Great, let's go and visit the dumbest boy in existence, who is probably going to boast about his stupid and idiotic fight rather than regret it and -"

Keith stopped his mind rand, as they stopped in front of the visitors room down the hall, where they were supposed to wait, so only groups of three and four would visit Lance at once. The place was separated from the rest of the floor through a window. Only parts of it were blurred so you had some privacy, but the doctors could still check on you from afar.

Lance was already sitting inside.

A girl their age, about as tall, if not a little taller than Lance sat right across from him. Her hair was slightly darker than his, but they had the same skin, the same look in their eyes. Hell, she even wore the same signature jacket. Maybe it was his.

Lance was covered in bruises, as he talked to her. Especially the bandage around his neck caught Keith's eye. For a moment he felt guilty for all the things his mind had called Lance the past 15 minutes. But he wasn't dwelling on that, when he looked at the silent exchanges between those siblings.

The girl, Keith realized, must be his twin sister Rachel. 

The class stared in silence through the window-wall -  
at the boy who had not noticed their presence yet.  
There was a white board and a pen lying next to him, but he wasn't using it as he talked. He barely moved his mouth as he spoke. His gestures were what caught Keith's attention.

Because Keith could makeout every word, just by looking at his hands.

He stepped closer to the window, to see more clearly. Because his mind must be tricking him.

"Lance knows ASL?", whispered Pidge, as she recognized some of the patterns of letters that Lance so swiftly used to communicate. 

"His sister was born deaf, you know.", Hunk explained quietly, so that everyone heard him.

"He really cares about her. She's the reason why he talks so much. Because she can't. Also he's still the only one in his family who can talk to her like a normal person. Lance is a great brother even if he doesn't think so himself."

Keith's eyes widened a little. (Since when was Lance doubting himself, he thought, but it was a secondary thought.)  
This was the moment Lance seemed to have noticed him, and his eyes snapped open in surprise as he saw Keith first.  
Because Keith Kogane? Here? Only then did he notice the rest of them, who were standing around Hunk now, bombarding him with questions about ASL and how Lance must have learned it and stuff. Hunk did his best, but apparently he didn't know that much about it. However, Lance's glance returned to Keith just as quickly, as he frowned awkwardly. Disappointed? 

The girl - Rachel nudged Lance in his side, pointing at Keith and then at Lance. "You like him.", she signed with a grin. So suddenly, it caught Keith off guard. Because he had just thought that Lance probably didn't want to see him here. And he was considering whether or not to stay outside the window. Rachel, had other plans.

It made his head immediately explode. And left a mixture of excitement and nothingness, which as a result left him confused and with weird goosebumps on his arms. 

Lance shove her of the couch they were sitting at. "You can't just say that!", he signed back, face red and embarrassed. Keith felt himself stepping back a little, eyes wide. This conversation was so unexpected it left him lightheaded.

Just because Lance didn't sign "no, I don't" or "that's the idiot I hate, what are you talking about."  
He would have been fine with a laugh.

Instead, the girl laughed at Lance signing: "he doesn't understand what we're saying.", she had her hand formed to a peace sign that she turned around in a smooth gesture.

"I can see it in your eyes.", she signed, as a grin formed on her face.

Keith's face in return, turned just as red as Lance's did. Lance snapped his hand in front of his mouth, mouthing "shut up" at her, but with less malice than he usually directed at Keith. 

Keith turned around again,ignoring the weird look he got from their teacher as he left for the bathroom.

Because what the heck had just happened?

He needed to cool his head, but even the cold water in his face didn't help. He saw the signs in his head again and again.

Lance didn't even deny. As though it was a common fact, that his sister just looked through him all the time. So it must be true. 

But how long has Lance felt this way? Why did he feel this way? He hated him, didn't he?  
And then, for a second, his mind asked him something that confused him even further. "He hated him, didn't he? Which one of the both of them was he. And who was him?

Keith felt like he was getting hit by a truck. Maybe he was misunderstanding this? Maybe Lance's sister meant the like as in Lance just liked him, instead of hating and maybe Lance was just mistaking that for – wait that doesn't solve the problem at all.

Keith took a breath.

Maybe Lance thought this was just meant as general liking and was overreacting, because admitting you even liked your enemy was self defeating.

Keith shook his head. No. Lance would have been like: "yeah, I like annoying him" or something smart like that. Lance wasn't shy about these things.

Keith's face turned an even darker shade of red. Lance was shy with his crushes though.  
Why did Keith even know that?

Or maybe... maybe Keith had been misreading the signs?  
But Keith grew up with them. How would he have mistaken them? Maybe he had just seen what he wanted to see?, his mind unhelpfully suggested, making him curse even more in embarrassment. Because for some reason, he felt himself unable to argue with that logic.

He didn't even have time to sort out his feelings, as he realized that he had been here for at least ten minutes now. People would start talking, if he didn't return soon.

He sighed. Maybe it was better to pretend he never saw any of that. Just to have some time to think this through. At least Lance didn't know he knew ASL. 

But it truly was incredibly hard to hate someone who liked you.

\------------------------------

"I talked to Lance's mom again.", their teacher just started, her phone in hand, as soon as Keith had returned. They were sitting inside the visitors room now. Lance and his sister, sitting there and waving at them with happy faces.  
Keith face was still red, but nobody payed him much attention. Except for Lance, whose eyes were following him curiously. Keith felt anxious at the unusual attention.

"It seems, Lance's throat has been injured during the fight, so he won't be able to talk for a while.

He does know ASL though, since his sister was born deaf. Of course he could write on a whiteboard to talk, but I think that's won't be necessary.  
I have another proposition."

Keith regretted his life decisions.

"Because, even though it's a funny coincidence, I happen to know that Keith as well knows ASL. I would deeply appreciate it, if you could translate for us."

The room, already silent, turned to Keith immediately. You could have heard a pin drop at the silence that followed.

Lance's face was, despite everything, priceless.  
But Keith was shrinking into his seat. And there went his chance to pretend he hadn't seen anything. Lance looked at him in horror, knowing fully well that if this was true, than he was absolutely fucked.

"I remember at the last parents conference, Keith had been so kind to accompany his father to translate for him. So, I'm sure he can do it now as well. Am I right, Keith?"

Keith didn't know how to respond to that, as Lance's eyes widened in panic. Because, if their teacher had actually benefited from Keith's knowledge before, then it had to be true.

She was not making things up.  
Keith knew.

So, Keith, to Lance's horror, held up his right hand, thumb and pinky finger pointing out of his fist, as he moved his hand back a bit, to catch his own fingers in a fist again.

"Yes.", he said along with the sign, while their teacher clapped her hands together in excitement. 

With a side glance towards his enemy with current complications, he assured him: "I don't really want to, though." It didn't get the assumed response, but Lance probably understood.

Lance however, was staring at him, just as the rest of the class was, while Lance's sister had her mouth covered by her hands in shock and gleeful regret.

"Please tell me you didn't see that earlier.", Lance signed hastily, as his face turned even more red, causing Keith to shrink in on himself.

"I did.", he quickly signed. His pointer finger tapping the other fingers slightly, before he crossed his arms as a gesture to not talk about this right now. 

Lance covered his face a swell now, leaving the people around them confused.

"Keith, would you mind telling us what he said?", their teacher asked, while Lance hurried to translate for his sister. Right, she needed translation as well.

"Not much. He's just –unhappy that you chose me for this. There were a few insults, you don't want to hear it.", Keith lied, unconsciously moving his hands along. Not because he had to. He never had to with his father either.  
He just – got used to it somehow and now that he was asked to talk to someone who used ASL to communicate, his hands just moved on their own.

Similar as how your hands move when you write and they just search for the letters on the keyboard, while your head's busy finding the right words. 

Rachel laughed, as she was reading his hands, all while Lance was still defeated. 

Their teacher sighed.

"Of course. Of course.",she mumbled, noticing that something was off between them, but not knowing and not wanting to know what it was , she decided to carry on. 

However, now Keith was the one bombarded with questions that Google could have answered easily. Like "how does a mute person call 911?" Questions like that. (They have a special device for this. As one would imagine :))

At the same time, he was expected to translate everything they said into ASL, while some others asked Lance to do the same, while they also expected Keith to correctly translate what they had asked Lance to sign. Who were they again to think they were allowed to test them?

Keith nailed everything, of course. 

All in all, it was quite fun. And Keith slowly got used to this childish game of "can you read this". "We're not in kindergarten, are we?", he signed to Lance, who grinned at the words.

"What do you mean? Just because we have secret codes and symbols and even letters to talk with? That's agent level stuff, you know?"  
Keith grinned at that, but his mind wasn't really working with him. ,i thought only friends did this?', it reminded him, leaving a weird feeling in his stomach. 

"How did you get beaten up anyway?", Keith asked from afar, as finally the attention subsided.

"This guy was catcalling my sister. And he got aggressive, when she didn't answer. I mean, it's not his fault that she can't hear him. But that's no reason to assault her. I think catcalling is rude anyway.  
He deserved the punch. Too bad, I'm not a good fighter.", Lance signed back shakily and embarrassed.

Keith just looked at him, as though through different eyes. "That was very brave of you.", he signed back, before someone was interrupting them again, asking what they had been talking about, as Keith had hesitated to actually make a sound as he signed it.

It distracted him from the surprise in Lance's face, thankfully.

It was only half an hour later, when their teacher had decided it was time for them to leave.

However, Keith was allowed to stay a little longer, to discuss with Lance how they would handle the task ahead. It would only be a couple of days, but their skill was – to be frank – quite handy.  
Well, ok, maybe their teacher had forced Keith to stay a bit.

Lance's sister as well, left alongside their classmates, as Lance's mom had work to do and didn't want to leave her daughter to walk home alone from the hospital. Their teacher would bring her home.

Understandable, considering what had caused Lance's visit in the first place.

Rachel seemed to enjoy talking to Keith. She was especially excited,because she didn't need anyone to translate for her for once. 

So – now – Lance and Keith were alone in the visiting area of the hospital. Second floor.  
Being alone with someone who apparently – maybe – might have a crush on you is always awkward.

You may be able to imagine this feeling as a full body tension that doesn't leave you, no matter where you turn.

Lance held up his hands to say something, but put them down immediately. Of course, he didn't know what to say. Or rather, what not to say.

Keith, on the other hand, opened his mouth to actually say something, but he as well, was left with a blank mind. 

Then, Lance's hands moved up in uncertainty once more. "Do you like my sister?", he asked and Keith almost choked, as Lance blushed at his own words.

"What the hell do you mean?", Keith asked confused and surprised and wondered again, what kind of like Lance would mean to leave him so flustered.  
Ahh... No Keith knew. He just couldn't imagine why Lance would be jealous. Keith barely even talked to her.

"You kept staring at her, when you looked through the window. And you got along so well earlier- I rarely see you smile like that", he signed, even more uncomfortable now, when he was already regretting his choice of words. His face reddening even more. So.... He actually was jealous.

Keith stared at him like an idiot. Almost certain now that he had not been misreading the signs earlier. His stomach flipped – for no reason of course.

"I just noticed that she looks a lot like you. She was wearing your jacket and she said that you -", he stopped himself, as he noticed Lance's eyes widening as he waited. Keith had to admit, this sounded like the only things he liked about her, were the things that reminded him of Lance. And Lance seemed to gather hope and courage from it. Or did he?

"-You know -", Keith ended lamely. Had Lance's eyes always been so blue?  
Lance blushed again, crossing his arms, before he remembered that he needed them to sign.

"That doesn't mean, you would like to go on a date with me, do you?", Lance slowly signed. Hesitant, careful. Or maybe Keith was just seeing it this slowly, as Lance awkwardly chuckled, and scratched his neck right after, so he didn't have to look at Keith.

"Why do you think I wouldn't?", Keith defensively said. But it was just the sound, the voice that hung in the air. Keith felt his mouth moving, he heard the words. But he couldn't remember saying them. His mind was confused. This was not his mind talking. This was someone else using his voice. And he couldn't do anything about it.

"You would?", Lance stared at him. Eyes widening even more, as his breath seemed to catch up to something Keith couldn't see. Maybe Keith's own breathing. No - wait. Keith wasn't breathing. He gasped for air as he noticed.

Keith stared at him, still hearing his own words in his head.  
"I would?", he asked himself. But he said it out loud as well, as though the little marionette player in his heart had taken control again.

All while Lance kept staring at him, moving only a tiny bit closer. Daring, and waiting to be pushed away. Keith didn't. And he didn't know why not.

Somehow, in those past two hours, something had turned around Keith's heart 180 degrees, and now it was trying to jump back into place, only to hammer against hisripcage in the process.

It was as if these seconds were stretching painfully, reminding Keith of all these times that he had ranted about Lance and about how annoying he was.

And somehow this closeness itself made Keith's head whirl around, made him drunk.

What Lance must have known about himself for a long time now, was catching on to Keith in matters of moments, as Lance moved even closer. 

Everything that didn't make sense before, suddenly made sense. Why was he so annoyed by Lance? Why was he talking about him all the time? Why was he distracted by him so easily, when everyone else was also talking?  
Why was Keith so insistent to believe that Lance was more popular, more likable than him, when he himself was supposed to dislike him?

Was this, why his father kept being amused by his rants? Was this why he raised his eyebrows so often?

Keith examined the boy in front of him, as his mind finally caught up to his feelings.  
Finally gave them a chance.

It was as if for the first time, he actively paid attention to Lance, who was mouthing and gesturing something about, if Keith was messing with him, because he was spacing out for so long.  
His eyes were crystal blue, Keith noticed.  
Keith like the fluffiness of his hair. And he didn't mind the bruises on Lance's face. Because they showed off his kindness. His protectiveness. His courage.

"What are you doing?",Lance signed in confusion, as he stared at Keith's open mouthed face.

Keith stared at his own hand – that – again – had moved on it's own, only to caress Lance's injured cheek. Keith felt like he was watching himself do all this. Surprised by every action, every move.

Keith blinked himself back to reality, but was captured by Lance's red cheeks once more.  
How could this boy be so beautiful? 

"I have no idea.", Keith finally breathed, as he moved forward to kiss Lance.

Again, it was an instinctive reaction, a movement he neither planned nor understood, and it was received by surprise and shock. Followed by Lance returning what was granted to him so eagerly.

When they finally breathed apart, Lance's eyes were widened, as though he was still processing what had just happened. And Keith felt the same.  
Yet, he felt like he could never regret this.

"So, you like me too?", Lance hesitantly signed.  
Keith flushed red immediately. "I mean – I think I might?", he suggested, hesitant as always.  
"Maybe I just like you, because you finally shut up?", Keith added, unsure if this was the right time for his tone or this kind of humor. He also felt weirdly defensive and panicked. But Lance wasn't flipping out on him, so that helped.

Apparently it was ok, because Lance was laughing hoarsely, as he had to hold his paining throat. 

"Maybe I should have shut up sooner, then.", he retorted without a sound, but a grin, a toothy smile and wild gestures and yes, Keith didn't regret a thing, as he laughed as well, capturing Lance's hands in his.  
"Maybe you should have", he muttered again, before he kissed him again. 

A.N.// again:

I hate that I like this stuff.


End file.
